The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) has expressed its approval for a new bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senator Mark Warner. This legislation aims to enable pharmacists to receive reimbursement from Medicare Part B for testing and treating patients with COVID-19, flu, respiratory viruses, and strep throat.
Reintroduced as the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services (ECAPS) Act, the bill has gained bipartisan support. "This legislation protects patient access, especially for people in rural areas where pharmacists can be the only healthcare provider for many miles," stated NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey. He highlighted the critical role independent community pharmacists played during the pandemic by administering millions of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The NCPA is advocating strongly for this legislation along with its House counterpart (H.R. 3164), which currently has 44 cosponsors from both parties.
For further details about NCPA's activities, their website can be visited at www.ncpa.org.
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